In this course, we explore some of the historically important philosophical questions relating to the human person. This will include discussions about the existence (or non-existence) of free will; the question of what makes you the particular person you are; and the nature of the human (and non-human mind).

Weekly Reflections: to apply course insights to real-world, self-relevant situations; drawing on your reflections for discussions. Participation: participant-centered and participant-driven: it is centered on your interests within the course framework and driven by your active participation. Group Project: collective identities be in groups to create brief presentation videos and reflect on your experiences. We will review the videos before our class session and discuss select few in class. Final Reflection Project: integrate and apply course concepts to a piece of work (e.g., short story, painting, movie, newspaper, diary) or any aspect of your life; a comprehensive version of your weekly reflections. Please note that the project does not necessarily need to be a standard paper – it could be, for example, a video, curated photography or drawing, poetry, or any other format that best reflects your sense of self and identity.

W1: Oyserman, D., Elmore, K., & Smith, G. (2012). Self, self-concept, and identity. In M. R. Leary & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 69-104). New York, NY: The Gilford Press.

W2: Brown, J. D. (1998). Self-Development. In The self (pp. 49-81). New York, NY: Routledge.
Yoshino, K. (2006). An uncovered self. In Covering (pp. 3-27). New York, NY: Random House Trade Paperbacks.

W3: Brown, J. D. (1998). The search for self-knowledge. In The self (pp. 49-81). New York, NY: Routledge.

W4: Linville, P. (1987). Self-complexity as a cognitive buffer against stress-related illness and depression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(4), 663-676.
Donahue, E. M., Robins, R. W., Roberts, R. W., & John. O. (1993). The divided self: Concurrent and longitudinal effects of psychological adjustment and social roles on self-concept differentiation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(5), 834-846.

W5: Schlenker, B. R. (2012). Self-presentation. In M. R. Leary & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handbook of self and identity (pp. 542-570). New York, NY: The Gilford Press.

W6: Muraven, M. & Baumeister, R. F. (2000). Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle? Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 247-259.
Baumeister, R. F., DeWall, C. N., Ciarocco, N. J., & Twemge, J. M. (2005). Social exclusion impairs self-regulation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,88(4), 589-604.

W7: Tracy, J. L. & Robins, R. W. (2007). Self-conscious emotions: Where self and emotion meet. In C. Sedikides & S. J. Spencer (Eds.), The self (187-209). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

W8:Carmichael, C. L., Tsai, F., Smith, S. M., Caprariello, P. A., Reis, H. (2007). The self and intimate relationships. In C. Sedikides & S. J. Spencer (Eds.), The self (285-309). New York, NY: Psychology Press.

W9: Hogg, M. A. (2012). Social identity and the psychology of groups. In M. R. Leary & J. P. Tangney (Eds.), Handboo